Red Dead Redemption: New Austin Will Officially Keep You Busy Until GTA 6

Red Dead Redemption: New Austin Is An Incredible Expansion Made Possible By Fans

Published Oct 12, 2026, 11:04 AM EDT

Ewan is Deputy Editor for ScreenRant's gaming section. He still quite hasn’t gotten out of his mid 00’s emo phase, and knows more about The Legend of Zelda and Doctor Who than is probably healthy.

Ewan oversees the content operation of ScreenRant's gaming output, working with a talented team of writers and editors to cover everything from the latest GTA 6 news to the indie games you need on your radar. 

Former Editor of GAMINGbible, Ewan also has words at Kotaku, Den of Geek, NME, and UNILAD. He's appeared on various podcasts, including VGC's and BBC's Let's Talk About Tech. 

I'm going to come at you right away with a scorching-hot take: I'd put Red Dead Redemption over Grand Theft Auto any day of the week. I know GTA 6 is kind of a big deal, but I'd kick it to the curb if it meant we could get Red Dead Redemption 3 that much sooner. There's something about the wide-open spaces and untamed wilds of the Red Dead games that I just vibe with.

Given that Red Dead Redemption 2 is basically the most beautiful-looking video game of all time and still hasn't been dethroned in eight years, I can't help but wonder how great a full Red Dead Redemption remake using RDR2's engine would be. It's not that the original Red Dead Redemption is a bad-looking game by any means, but compared to its sequel? Come on.

While Rockstar has no plans to remake Red Dead Redemption anytime soon, there are modders doing the next best thing. This brings me to Project New Austin 1907, a seriously ambitious mod for Red Dead Redemption 2 that brings back classic locations from the original games.

These aren't just empty but familiar looking locations, either. Everything in Project New Austin 1907 has been properly fleshed out to include unique NPCs, secrets, and so much more. You can explore old haunts like Macfarlane’s Ranch, the Serendipity, and the Morning Star Ferry.

As if that wasn't enough, the mod introduces a brand-new railroad system with fast-travel points. Still want more? How about new gang hideouts, mini-gamers, and vendors? This project is basically the single-player expansion Rockstar never gave us.

Project New Austin 1907 has been in development for over four years now, and the most recent version came out in September 2025. The small but dedicated team continues to work on the mod, too, so expect it to get even better over time.

Those that have actually installed the mod and tried it for themselves are fully in love with it. "Dude, this update was SO good man," one gamer enthused of the most recent release. "I love the new interiors like the ferry and wreck of serendipity and oil refinery thing, also I love that you got the McFarlanes ranch, the original ranch mod was good and this was a cool improvement, keep up the great work, you and all the other people who helped on this. Y’all are great"

Another added: "Modders care about the game much more than Rockstar does. You guys are amazing & talented people."

"This looks like an actual RDR2 trailer," said a third. "Wouldnt be surprised if someone said this was a actual update cause it looks like its a real trailer, also mod looks good too."

The most recent Red Dead Redemption rumors suggest Rockstar is planning to re-release the game again for PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch 2 next month with a physical edition. Personally, I'd much rather we get that long-rumored next-gen upgrade for Red Dead Redemption 2 or, in an ideal world, something as robust as Project New Austin 1907. A boah can dream, I suppose.

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